


The Pearl

by AThousandWishes



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:55:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23728675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AThousandWishes/pseuds/AThousandWishes
Summary: There was a pearl necklace...and this is a story of one of those pearls.
Kudos: 1





	The Pearl

The Pearl  
1/1  
Rated: G  
  
  
She was absolutely stunning. Shining and smooth, her coloring  
matched perfectly with her countless sisters, strung tightly  
together and placed gently around an equally delicate neck. Pearls,  
every one priceless because of the love each represented from an  
adoring husband and son. This necklace was chosen for the woman in  
their lives. The woman wore those radiant pearls on special  
occasions with honor. The sisters beamed in any light, flashing  
creamy iridescence against the delicate throat and chest of their  
beloved owner. Tonight was no different, even though the little  
family would only be attending a movie at the local theater.  
  
That particular pearl could not be singled out from the multitude of  
her cloned sisters. However, the future would bring an assortment  
of changes for many. The lady had left the theater with husband and  
son. Her arm locking elbow's with her heart's true love as the  
younger's antics made the beautiful woman laugh lightly and lean  
into her husband's strong shoulder. Each pearl delighted in the  
pulse that beat against them as the graceful throat bobbed from  
giggling.  
  
Within an instant, the light mood darkened. The pulse began to beat  
faster as fear surrounded the pearly strand. Something rough clawed  
at them, pulling them apart. Desperately, the sisters' clasped  
hands held on tightly until…  
  
**BAM BAM**  
  
And then, they fell. Each sister dropped to the ground, spilling  
away in various directions. She felt her sisters disappear from her  
side as she crashed down to the filthy ground of the alley. Her  
fall shot her off at a sharp angle and she rolled under a large  
dumpster…all alone. There she stayed by herself through that first  
terrible night, violated by grime for the first time in her  
existence. It was not until daybreak that she was disturbed. A  
large rat scurried by her and then turning around, it sniffed her.  
Deciding she might be a savory treat after all, the little creature  
took the newfound treasure and hurried across the dark alley.  
  
But as the rat cleared the opening nearest the busy city street, a  
calico cat pounced from behind an old milk crate. Fighting a losing  
battle for its life, the rat let go of his precious prize. The  
pearl traveled out of the alley and into the morning traffic.  
Finally, she settled into a small crack in the pavement and stayed  
there for the better part of a week. As if the Heavens were  
determined to cleanse the city's filth, rain poured down in droves.  
The flood of water whisked the overlooked gem ever rapidly toward  
the gurgling gutter. It would seem a bitter end for a once adored  
valuable. Yet, the pearl had a guardian angel in a fast food bag  
caught between the bars of the grate. She settled in between soggy  
fries and napkins.  
  
Next morning, the sun poked through the clouds and tall buildings.  
A gang of crows swooped down and began to squabble over the trash  
heaped against the large drain. Though darkened from surrounding  
smut, the pearl glinted and caught the eye of the closest raven.  
Quickly, the bird snatched her into its beak and flew high above  
Park Row. Afraid of pursuit by his fellow groupies, the raven  
winged a rapid flight south, over the Sprang River and Upper East  
Side, finally turning slightly west toward Robinson Park. The bird  
landed on an elm tree, lowered its beak, and used a sharp claw to  
hold the pearl. Curiously, he paused and spied the round, white  
object, concentrating on how best to devour this indulgence. After  
several frustrating attempts with no results but a sore bill, the  
crow simply lost interest and allowed the pearl to plummet to the  
ground.  
  
She hit hard and made an audible thump, drawing a young oriental boy  
over to peer at what must have looked like an odd marble. Grasping  
his find tightly in a square hand, the child ran over to his mother  
and proudly showed off his good fortune. The woman smiled, ignorant  
of the significance of such a small thing. Two hours later, the  
pearl had traveled further southwest, over the Finger River and into  
Gotham's Chinatown. Apparently, the boy's parents operated a well-  
known restaurant and lived a typical middle-class lifestyle.  
Although not large, the family had a nice house with a small yard,  
which contained a modest oak tree. And as peculiar as it might  
seem, a tree-house had been built around the lowest branches.  
  
The boy scrambled up the ladder and into his favorite hangout. An  
undersized chest was in the middle of the wooden floor. Inside, the  
child buried his booty. Playing cards, bumper stickers, rocks, toy  
soldiers, his little sister's Barbie…the pearl was tossed into the  
mix. During the next ten years, she languished in mostly darkness.  
The boy slowly grew into a young man and rarely visited his  
childhood spot, until one warm spring night. That evening, he had  
company in the form of a young woman. Opening the chest, he showed  
his girlfriend all of his boyhood delights. The young woman gasped  
as sparkling brown eyes fell on the pearl. The young man handed the  
treasure over to a new owner.  
  
A day later, the young lady placed the pearl inside a stylish pink  
purse and stepped down into the subway. She boarded a train that  
would take her to the Fashion District, where she worked for an art   
gallery. The trip was long, so the young woman pulled out a book to  
read. Unfortunately, a street punk noticed her distraction and took  
advantage. Just as the train pulled into its next stop, the corrupt  
teen darted past the lady and grabbed the pink purse. The criminal  
made his way into the crowd where he disappeared.  
  
Finding an obscure corner, the teen dumped out the contents of the  
purse. Lipstick, mirror, comb, hair clips, pens, paper, nail file,  
checkbook, credit cards, cash, and the pearl came tumbling out. The  
small time hood did not waste a second, as he pocketed the credit  
cards and cash. The pearl journeyed unnoticed further into the  
shadows until she softly clunked against someone's booted foot. A  
dingy homeless man glanced down at the intriguing object. He was  
not quite sure what to make of it. Taking the pearl in his grip, he  
let the cool round thing roll in the creases of his calloused  
hands. Grinning, he continued this new game for hours.  
  
Months passed by in the care of the homeless man. He kept the pearl  
in his pocket, but would bring her out at night to marvel at her  
smooth beauty. However, tragedy never seemed a stranger. It was  
cold one winter's eve. Christmas bells were ringing throughout the  
city. In Grant Park, snow fell softly around the shivering man  
lying on a bench with newspaper as his only shelter. He clutched  
the pearl tightly in his hand, taking comfort in that lone  
treasure. Suddenly, angry voices broke through the distant joyful  
chimes of Gotham Cathedral. The homeless man was roughly knocked  
off of the bench by a brutal gang, which selected this particular  
area as "their" turf. Examples had to be made of those people who  
dared defy the hardened thugs. Punches, kicks, curses, and blows  
were dealt out as punishment. Sadly, the pearl could do nothing as  
she felt the old man's warm hand grow cold and his soft grip loosen  
slightly and then stiffen.  
  
When morning dawned, policemen came and took the homeless man away.  
The pearl was placed inside a plastic bag and taken to the Gotham  
City Police Department. Once there, she sat on a detective's desk  
for three days, moved to a box, which was taken to the evidence room  
and set on a top shelf. Twenty long years passed.  
  
A new commissioner always brought along new changes. Orders were  
given to reorganize the overflowing evidence room. Old case files  
would be placed in a new storage area, so that room would be  
available for newer, more relevant cases. Grumbling about his job  
description, a young police officer grabbed boxes off the top shelf  
and handed each down to his waiting partner. As he reached for  
another dusty box, the officer suddenly sneezed and lost his hold on  
the one in his hands. The box fell to the ground with a thud,  
depositing its contents on the floor. As the partner officer picked  
up an old ragged coat and boots, he failed to observe the little  
pearl that spun out of the room into the hallway.  
  
At that moment, a custodian's broom scraped across the floor and the  
pearl found herself being shoved in another direction, toward a  
stairwell. Down she went, each step dropped her onto the next until  
she trickled off the last one and came to rest in the middle of a  
large room. About an hour later, a young woman and a detective  
moved into the room. The detective seemed very kind and  
understanding. He asked the young lady if he could do anything  
else. He knew it must be difficult to have come to the police, but  
it was the right thing to do so that the monster would never hurt  
another woman again. The young lady had tears streaming down her  
face and did not notice where she stepped. Her foot came down on  
the pearl, which stuck in the grooves of the shoe. The young lady  
stumbled, causing the detective even more concern. Did the woman  
have anyone to talk to? She assured him that she would indeed talk  
to someone.  
  
The young lady left the GCPD Headquarters, unaware she carried  
something precious in her every step. She traveled east, trying her  
best to keep away from the crowds, not wanting people to touch or  
even look at her. The young lady did not stop until she was across  
the street from her intended destination. Attempting to hold back  
tears, she approached Gotham Cathedral hesitantly. Underfoot, the  
pearl felt the hard sidewalk give way to soft grass as the woman  
made her way into the cemetery. Row by row, grave by grave, the  
broken woman made her way to a plot near a hilltop to the very back  
of the quiet field. Kneeling down, she spoke softly and soon began  
to cry to the mother that had left her over a year ago.  
  
An hour later, the young woman rose. Walking as a little lost girl,  
her meandering path took her through row after row of memorials to  
lost loved ones, much like the pearl's sisters lost so long ago.  
The young woman's steps slowed as she wandered toward a large  
headstone on top of the hill. For an instant, the woman stopped,  
placed a hand on the strangers' grave, and angrily stamped her foot  
as she tried to stop fresh tears from falling. The pearl fell loose  
and plopped on the ground. As the young woman moved away, the pearl  
was left alone and lost once again.  
  
After a while, it would seem the pearl had finally found her resting  
place. She was content to stay on the peaceful grave, for something  
was strangely comforting about it. Then one day, a man came and   
stood with flowers in his hands. He spoke in a deep, sad voice. He  
seemed as lost and alone as the little pearl. The man said he was  
sorry and that he did not know if he could keep his promise. Then  
he bent down to gently place the flowers on the tombstone.  
  
A ray of sunshine shot over his shoulder and shone brightly on the  
pearl. Sharp blue eyes stared down at the unexpected sight. With a  
trembling hand, the man reverently lifted the round marvel. At his  
touch, the pearl instantly recognized this man. He was the adored  
son of her first owner. It was his love that had made the pearl and  
her sisters priceless. As a single tear trekked down the man's  
cheek, the pearl knew that great love had made this man's life  
priceless, too.  
  
The End


End file.
